Water distillation apparatuses are used to provide distilled water for drinking, appliances, etc. Such apparatuses can be used to produce distilled water commercially, while smaller apparatuses can be used in the home to provide a smaller, even continuous, supply of distilled water.
When distilling water for drinking purposes, it is desirable to remove unpleasant tasting chemicals from the water. Such chemicals include chlorine, sulfates, and some lighter iron oxides. Chlorine mixes well with water at water purification plants. But, after travelling through miles of water distribution pipes from the plant to households, chlorine tends to separate from the water, altering the overall taste. Sulfates give water the taste of rotten eggs. If these chemicals are not removed from the water before distillation, then these chemicals will be distilled with the water.
Removal is typically achieved by degassifying the water before it is distilled. Most of these unpleasant tasting chemicals are more volatile than water. Therefore, the water is heated to a temperature below its boiling point, where the unpleasant tasting chemicals can evaporate. Other chemicals, such as the heavier iron oxides, are removed during the distillation process.
In the prior art, Ellis, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,090 shows a two-chamber distiller. The two chambers are physically separate, being located in two housings. A boiling chamber generates steam, which is then condensed in a coil. The condenser coil is located in a second chamber, separate from the boiling chamber. The condenser coil is immersed in water to effect heat transfer to the water, causing the water to degassify. The distiller of the '090 patent suffers from the disadvantage of being prone to leaks. The two chambers are penetrated by apertures below the respective water levels and a conduit connects the two chambers together at points below the water levels. These apertures and conduit make the distiller susceptible to leaks.
McFee, U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,663 shows a distiller having two-chamber construction, but without provisions for degassifying the water. In one embodiment of the distiller, the preheating chamber wall is penetrated by apertures which could leak. In another embodiment, the wall of the preheating chamber is flexible. The flexible wall divides the preheating chamber from a distilled water storage reservoir. Such a distiller has a short life span and is unnecessarily complicated. Furthermore, the distillers are equipped with thermostats to control the heating elements. Thermostats and the like increase the cost of distillers.